Hearing Protection

It's not wide open--we planted more than 60 trees about 10-17 years ago, there
are three buildings, and it is not flat and smooth. We could probably bush hog
half an acre at the back, but my wife has butterfly bushes and some shrubs
there which are hard to mark out, so it combines a rotary rider and a rotary
push.
Charlie Self
"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."
Edgar Bergen, (Charlie McCarthy)

I don't remember the brand, but I use a pair sold at wal-mart in the
sporting goods department for shooting. They are affordable ($10-$15),
comfortable and work very well. I keep mine on a hook attached to my Dewalt
thickness planer, as I wear them EVERY time I use it. I will somethime use
them with other tools, especially if for a prolonged amount of time.
Joe in Denver
my woodworking website:
http://www.the-wildings.com/shop /

I've got several brands--the most comfortable, thus the most used, are a pair
of AOSafety folding ear muffs. I try to always keep a set of muffs on the
jointer, planer and table saw and near the router table as well. Emphasize the
tools with universal motors, which are the noisiest. Wearing hearing protection
all the time any power tool is in use is probably a good idea.
I've got several types of the "in your ear" kind, and find they do generally
work a little better, but are something of a nuisance to get in and sometimes
to keep in. They are also sometimes harder to FIND, so for two reasons, they're
less likely to be used.
Wish I'd started wearing hearing protection 40 years or so ago. Now, any of the
protectors are a stopgap to try to retain what hearing is left for as long as
possible.
Charlie Self
"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."
Edgar Bergen, (Charlie McCarthy)

Don't limit yourself to muffs. Plugs are cheap, work with face
shields and hard hats, and handy for hot, humid days. I keep some
throwaways around just for the days when they are more comfortable and
for visitors.
As for muffs, I like Peltor. I have some 29 and 31 dB NRR models that
are comfy. I haven't seen a good set of muffs in home centers. Check
gun shops, industrial supply houses (Grainger), and real tool stores.
Our local BORGs only carry 21 dB models.
Barry

I use Peltor muff-type protectors. Comfortable and effective. A bit pricy,
but this is not an area where you should be trying to cut costs: there's only
ten or fifteen dollars difference between the Peltors and the cheapo
home-center protectors that block only 2/3 as much sound.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)
Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter
by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com
You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

have
of
Consumer Reports recommended, and I tend to agree, that a belt/suspenders
approach is best - muffs and plugs. The Howard Leight Orange plugs work
very well. I find that spitting on them helps insert them in the ear. It
grosses my wife out, though.
Then any muffs at the BORG will probably suffice.

I can imagine. I like the orange bell-shaped plugs and use them
inverted, wide side in. Since I sleep with them (Damned neighbor
dogs), that way, my ears don't hurt in the morning. I sleep on my
side so I found that the wide part made the outer part of my ear
hurt when squished into a pillow for hours.
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I never pack a suitcase without them either. I usually end up in a hotel
with a bunch of conventioneers. Once I ended up in a Louisville Hotel which
happened to be hosting the Kentucy State Funeral Director's convention.
Thet're a lively crowd....

Reminds me of a stay in a hotel that was housing the attendees of a
Shriners convention. Too bad the funeral guys weren't there - while
gathered in the hotel lounge, one of the Shriners dropped dead and fell
backwards off his bar stool. His buddies covered him up with a table
cloth, said a few words in his memory and continued pounding down their
libations. I wasn't thirsty any longer...
-Doug

Is that new or regional or was mine regional? When we were kids, some wiseacres
would wet down a finger and stick it into the ear of the unsuspecting victim at
the desk in front of us. Known as a "wet Willie" at that time.
That was our idea of big time hell raising in school.
Charlie Self
"Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain

[...snip...]
This thread is already dead, but anyway, I put the foam inserts in as
soon as I get into the shop. Then I put the Peltors on when I fire up
the router, or the shop vac, etc. But not the table saw.

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